Little Italy's Secret
by Lucks
Summary: Racetrack lived with a family a few years before the strike. Then, almost a year after the strike occured, something has happened to the family to bring back old memories. Racetrack reflects.


**Author:** Lucksies (Hey! That's me)

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately do_ not_ own Racetrack. grumbles under her breath But... I'm going to take him away for me to play with anyways! MWA HA HA!

**Summary:** Racetrack lived with a family a few years before the strike. Then, almost a year after the strike occured, something has happened to the family to bring back old memories. Racetrack reflects.

**Genre:** Drama/Romance an a wee bit 'o' Angst (Grab your kleenex boxes ladies and gents!) gets all teary-eyed

**Rating:** K+ for some kissage, ooooooooo!

* * *

**Little Italy's Secret**

I was walking home from the tracks the day that I read about the Valentinos. I had always saved one of my papers so I could read everything but the headlines. Afterall, the headlines were the only thing I did read during the day.

So, I was walking, cigar in my mouth, and I turned the page and looked down to see the words, "Immigrant Family Dies in Fire", in big bold letters. I had remembered yelling something like that into the crowd. The headline sold a couple of papes, but not many, since apparently death in the city wasn't very interesting unless it was someone rich and famous.

The headline didn't appeal to me at first, it wasn't written very well. The thing that did catch my attention, though, was the picture. A family of four smiled up at me and my heart skipped a beat. I remebered those faces. The black and white smiles on that thin paper made tears sting in my eyes.

I walked over to the park bench and sat down. I stared off into the crowd, trying not to cry, as I remembered the family whose faces were now in 'The World'.

* * *

_It was nearly two years before the strike. I was fifteen years old. Those were the days when I liked to wander off after selling. Actually, I still did that, but that's besides the point... Anyways, one day, I was walking through Little Italy, starving and exausted, but still as adolescent as ever. _

_Little Italy was a busy little market, even as the sun was setting, people hustled and bustled all over the place. Carts and wagons filled with food and other goods were everywhere. One in particular had the tastiest looking fruit I'd ever seen, especially since I was a starving teenager. _

_So, naturally, I reached over and snatched a juicy red apple. Unfourtunately, the vendor, a burly man with a five o'clock shadow, saw me taking the apple, and he grabbed my arm. "Ya gonna pay fa dat, kid?" He asked me with a scruff voice._

_"Uh..." I started._

_"He's mine, sorry." A woman's voice came up from behind me. She had a thick Italian accent and I turned to see her face as she handed the vendor a few cents for the apple. She was short and stout, I was probably taller than her. She had black hair that was tied into a tight bun. Her skin was dark and her face, though wrinkled, was freckled. She looked all together motherly. She grabbed my collar and pulled me away from the vendor, ranting things in Italian. I understood some of the words, but not many since it had been ten years since I'd left Little Italy to be a newsie. Then she leaned close to me and muttered in my ear "Play along _Figlio_." She was so close to me, I could smell the spices that she more than likely used in her cooking._

_She pulled me into an alley way and set me in front of her. Then she looked me up and down. That's when I noticed that she had a little girl with her. The woman's daughter, Grace, stood next to her mother. Her big brown eyes looked up at me, curious and frightened. A small row of freckles were scattered across her little nose. Her long black hair was braided back out of her face. Her little hands clutched a basket filled with food and her mother's sleeve._

_"What do you think, Gracie? Huh? Like our Ant'ony?" The woman looked me. She squeezed my cheeks with a plump hand and smiled. "You look hungry. You want to eat at our home"_

_It was true. I was hungry. So, I nodded and she smiled._

_The woman, who told me her name was Teresa Valentino, and her daughter, Grace, brought me to their little apartment. It was a nice place, clean and homely. When we walked in the door, the smell of spices came to my nose. I took off my hat and nervously stared at the man sitting at the table. The man was a big, Italian man. He was a little bit intimidating, as you can imagine, and he looked up at me over his glasses. He was reading that day's news._

_"Maurese, this is...well, I didn't ask for his name. What's your name _ragazzo_?" Teresa asked me._

_"Anthony Higgins." I answered. The name sounded odd on my tongue. I hadn't used it in ten years._

_"Ant'ony! I was telling Grace that he looked like our little Ant'ony." Teresa smiled softly, thinking._

_Mr. Valentino, however, did not smile, he just kept staring at me. "Higgins? I don't know any Higginses around Little Italy."_

_"No, sir. My fathah was from heah, New Yawk." I stated._

_"I see... and your mother?" Mr. Valentino was getting interested._

_"Oh, she was from around heah, Liddle Idaly, dat is."_

_Mr. Valentino nodded. "So, are your parents dead?"_

_"Maurese!" Teresa began, but I stopped her. "Yes, sir. Dey died in a fire when I was about five. I'm a newsie in da city now. I kinda like it."_

_"A newsie? Sounds exciting. How about you tell us more over dinner, Ant'ony." Teresa smiled and led me over to the table, pushing me down into a chair._

_The door to the little apartment opened suddenly and a laughing girl came in. She was beautiful. Her black hair was in a tight bun, like her mother's, but it was sleek and a few stray hairs flew in her chocolate brown eyes. She had a few freckles on her cheeks and her tan wasn't nearly as dark as her mother's, she had her father's complexion. She immediately walked in, gave Teresa a peck on the cheek, hugged Mr. Valentino, and gave Grace's braids a little tug. She stopped laughing when she saw me. Her mouth didn't close all the way, but she wasn't exactly gaping. "_Ciao

_"Oh, right! Sophia, this is Ant'ony Higgins. He's a newsie in the city." Teresa made it sound like I was some kind of boy genius. "Ant'ony, this is my other daughter, Sophia."_

_I smiled up at Sophia and she blushed and gave a shy wave before sitting down._

_After a hearty meal of pasta and much talking, it was time for me to go home. I stood up, thanking the Valentinos for the meal, and headed for the door._

_"Tony! Tony! Please come back!" Grace ran to see me._

_I smiled. "Of course... Just for you."_

_Grace blushed but beamed. The rest of the family stood. Teresa gave me a kiss on each cheek. "Come back soon,_ il mio bambino_." I nodded. Mr. Valentino shook my hand and smiled. And then Sophia blushed and nodded, acknowledging me. "Come again, Race." The 'r' rolled off her tongue as she fondly called me by the nickname the newsies had given to me. I had informed the family of almost everything I'd learned by being a newsie._

_I bid the family goodbye and left into the darkness of the city until I reached the Lodging House._

_I visited them many times. That's mainly where I ate dinner every night after selling... Except for on Friday's, of course, since that was poker night._

_The first time I had arrived at the Valentinos flat when Teresa and Maurese were gone was an unforgetable experience. I knocked on the door and removed my hat. Grace answered it in her pajamas. "Tony!" She exclaimed and hugged me. I smiled and carried the little girl over to the bed that was sitting just beyond the dining room._

_Sophia came out from the bathroom and blushed. "_Ciao_, Race." She smiled softly and poured me a cup of coffee._

Ciao_." I smiled and tickled Grace before walking over to the dining room table._

_"Mama and Papa are out. Some celebration of some kind." Sophia rolled her eyes. "I'm stuck with that." She pointed a slender finger at her younger sister and made a disgusted face._

_"Thanks." I took the coffee and laughed. "Aw, come on, Sophie, she's not dat bad, is she?"_

_Sophia rolled her eyes again. "You don't live with her."_

_I smiled. I enjoyed spending time with Grace and Sophia. They felt like family to me. All of the Valentinos felt like family to me. I hadn't had that feeling since before I could remember. I watched as Sophia tucked an energentic Grace into bed. She glared at me and blamed me for getting her sister excited. I just grinned and batted my eyelashes innocently. Finally, Grace fell asleep. It really didn't take much._

_Sophia opened the window and stuck her head outside. She breathed in heavily. "It rained." She smiled, ducking back inside. She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the window. "Come with me."_

_We crawled out the window and on to the fire escape, from there she took me to the roof of the building. The view was gorgeous. I could see all of Little Italy. I smiled and looked down at Sophia, who was sitting against the shingles. "It's beautiful." I stated._

_"Isn't it though?" She smiled back at me and pulled my arm so I would sit next to her._

_I did sit next to her. I entwined my fingers in her own and looked up at the sky. I extended my arm up to the stars and traced my favorite constellation. (Well, it was one of the only two I knew at the time...) "Da Liddle Dippah." I said and smiled down at Sophia._

_"How do you know so much, Race?" She asked, tilting her head to one side. Her jet black hair fell off her shoulder and cascaded down her back. Her chocolate brown eyes glimmered in the moonlight._

_"I don't really. Mush told me about da two dippahs. Dat's all I know." I told her, blushing ever so slightly. I didn't normallyblush... I was a newsie._

_"Mush sounds like pasta when Papa makes it." She laughed._

_I prodded her in the stomach. "Dat's not what his name means."_

_"What does it mean then? Racetrack." She smirked._

_"We call 'im Mush 'cause he's juss so... 'romantic'." I rolled my eyes on the last word and Sophia turned bright red. I almost did when I realized that I was still holding her hand. We caught each other's eyes and she looked away. "Sophie?"_

_"Yeah, Race?"_

_"Can I kiss you?" It slipped out before I had another chance to think. Then, I felt myself turning red._

_Sophia looked at me, blushed, smiled softly, and gave a little nod. I smiled, took a deep breath, and leaned towards her. I pressed my lips against hers and she kissed me back. We just sat like that. Our hands were still clenched together, her other hand rested on my knee, and my other hand held her face._

_Then, from downstairs, came the laughter of Mr. and Mrs. Valentino. "Sophia?" Teresa called from inside the warm apartment._

_"Up here, Mama, I'll be there in a minute!" Sophia called. She slipped me one more kiss before letting go of my hand, standing up, and rushing over to the fire escape._

_I slowly followed her. When I went in through the window, Teresa gave Sophia a kiss on her rosy cheek. "Sophia,_ Mio dolce_, it's cold out there. What were you doing?" Teresa laughed. Mr. Valentino was getting out of his suit and he leaned over to kiss Grace's sleeping forehead._

_"I was showing Race the view." Sophia stumbled. It was the truth. She had shown me the view._

_I walked fully into the room. "_Ciao_, Teresa." I kissed her cheek and she pinched mine._

_"Oh, Ant'ony,_ Lei è un ragazzo cosí buono_." Teresa smiled and tapped my cheek._

_"Mama." Sophia rolled her eyes._

_"Well he is." Maurese kissed Sophia's forehead. "Thank you for watching our girls while we were away, Tony." He winked at me._

_"I am perfectly able to watch myself, thank you." Sophia pouted._

_"Yes dear." Teresa rolled in the kitchen._

_"Listen, I bettah be goin'. 'Night everyone." I half-laughed._

_"Oh,_ arrivederci il bambino_." Teresa came over and pinched my cheek again before kissing my forehead._

_"Mama!" Sophia scolded and she rushed over to me. "Goodnight Race. Will we see you soon?" She looked at me, hopeful._

_"Yes, I'll be heah latah tamarrah." I grinned._

_She blushed and nodded. "Sleep tight."_

_"Goodnight, Tony. Please, come again." Mr. Valentino shook my hand._

_I blew a kiss to the sleeping Grace before heading out the door and back to the Lodging House where I would dream of what tomorrow might bring._

_The next few times I came, Sophia and I were nervous around each other. Our fingers would touch whenever she would pass anything to me from the dinner table. When she stood up, she would always run a hand along the back of my chair. We would run around the apartment, laughing, and occasionally I would tackle her down. Then we'd blush and I'd get up._

_Sophia and I didn't spend much time alone with each other. Everytime I saw her, she was with her family. There was this one time though, where we able to be alone again._

_I knocked on the door and Sophia answered. Before I could say hello, she put a finger to my mouth and nodded in the direction of Grace, asleep again. Then, she grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the open window. She helped me onto the fire escape and we headed off to the roof. Neither of us said anything until we were safely on the roof._

_"I just put the little brat to bed when you knocked." Sophia smiled. I smiled back and softly touched her waist with the tips of my fingers. "Race?"_

_"Yeah Sophie?"_

_"Can I kiss you?"_

_I smiled, leaned down, and kissed her. She was so beautiful. She wrapped her arms around my neck and scooted closer to me. I smiled and rested my forehead against hers. She closed her eyes and smiled softly. I kissed her again, but this time, with that little bit of passion that I didn't know I had. She scooted even closer to me. I could feel her body move up and down with her breath, I could feel her eyelashes against my cheeks. I moved one of my hands to her neck and continued kissing her. My other hand was on her hip._

_Then we were interupted. "Tony? Sophia?" It was Grace._

_Sophia and I stopped dead. We looked at each other, worried and embarassed. Then we let go of each other and ran as far away from each other as possible. Sophia bit her fingernail. I stared at the ground, my hands in my pockets._

_"W-w-what were you two doing?" Grace seemed like she was going to cry. I had no idea why._

_"We were just talking." Sophia stuttered._

_Grace was obviously not convinced. "Whisperin'!" I added. "We'se juss whisperin'. Sophie-uh... Sophia, tells me dat ya boithday's comin' up. S'dat true?"_

_Grace's face lit up. "Yes!"_

_I grinned and winked at Sophia. "Well, durn it. Now dat ya caught us, I suppose we can't have a surprise fa ya."_

_Grace's face turned shadowed again. She was silent for a moment, thinking. _

_"I know. How aboutyou pretendyou didn't hear or see us. Then you can still have the surprise." Sophia concluded. _

_Grace's face lit up again. "Ok! 'Night Sophia, 'Night Tony." And then she slipped away, back into the little apartment._

_Sophia stayed in her spot, chewing on her thumb nail, and staring at the spot Grace was just standing at. I walked over to her._

_"Wha's'mattah?" I asked, taking her hand away from her mouth and holding it._

_"Race..."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"I... I love you."_

_I have to admit that I was a little taken back. No one had ever said that to me before. Well, maybe the boys when they were being idiots. But no girl had ever said that to me. Especially not that early in the relationship. I was speechless. I just stared down at her, not knowing what to say. Luckily, I didn't have to._

_Sophia walked to the edge of the roof and looked down. "Race?"_

_"Uh..."_

_"Did you know... Little Italy has a secret."_

_"What?"_

_"No one knows that I know about it."_

_"Sophie, what are you talking about?"_

_She looked up at me, tears started in her eyes. "Race, how did your parents die?"_

_I gulped. I pulled her closer to me and motioned for the two of us to sit down. Then I entwined my fingers in her own. "Ya see dat jumble 'a buildin's? Righ' dere?" I pointed on the outskirts of Little Italy, right where it meets the city. Sophia nodded. "I used ta live dere. My faddah spoke English, but my muddah didn't speak a woid of it." I smiled thoughtfully. "One day, when I was five, I left da house to chase a cat down da street. When I came back, my house was in flames. I nevah saw my parents again." My smile faded and my eyes turned cold. I looked away from the group of houses and into Sophia's worried eyes. I managed to smile. "But what does dat hafta do wit Liddle Idaly's 'secret'?"_

_Sophia looked as though she was going to burst into tears. "That's it, Race." She rested her head on my shoulder. "Fires. They're everywhere. I'm scared, Race. I'm afraid that I'm going to die. I'm afraid I'm never going to see you again." A tear rolled off her cheek and hit my shoulder._

_I suddenly felt very uncomfortable. I'd known the Valentinos for almostsix months. They were my family. Grace was the little sister I never had. Teresa and Maurese were like the parents that I almost remember having. And Sophia... Sophia was Sophia._

_I hugged her tightly. I was speechless yet again. I couldn't believe what one little stolen apple could do. I finally understood the feeling of love. Sure, I loved the boys. They were all brothers to me. But, somehow, brothers weren't enough. I needed something to fill that little space in my heart. That's what the Valentinos did for me._

_"Race?" Sophia looked up at me. I was staring off into the city lights._

_"I-I... I have to go." I sighed._

_Sophia nodded and led me back inside. Teresa and Maurese weren't home yet. Another party, I suspected. I opened the door to leave. "Race?"_

_I loved it when she said my name. The 'r' always rolled off her tongue so nicely. I turned and looked at her beautiful body. Her curves were perfect. Her face was perfect. That long, black, beautiful hair hung down to the middle of her back. Her chocolate brown eyes held a pleading look. "Sophie-" I started, but before I could finish, she ran over, hugged me, and kissed me._

_Weeks after that, we finally told Mr. and Mrs. Valentino what was going on. I asked Maurese's permission to date his daughter and he said he trusted me. I took Sophia out to meet Medda. I took her to poker night where she met all of the boys. I had to smack Mush up side the head at least a dozen times that night... Everything was going to well, it'd be almost a year since I'd first met the Valentinos. I felt like they were actually my family, that I'd known them all my life._

_Everything was great. And then the newsies started to get sick. It started with a cough that spread throughtout the bunkroom. I only had it for a day, but then it went away. Then it was the fever. Then the vomitting, then the shakiness. Somehow, by the grace of God, I was all right. I'll never understand why. Kloppman's wife helped cure the newsies, most of them came to and started getting better..._

_Then there was Blink. Kid Blink had been my second best friend, Mush being my first. Blink had an eyepatch because he had an abusive father and well, you can imagine. When Blink got sick, everyone figured it'd be all right. He'd end up just like Jack, or Crutchy, or Skittery. But that's not how it was at all._

_Blink's cough got so bad that it led to vomitting. His fever was so high that he had to be in the tub with ice for hours until it went down. He vomitted so much that everyone figured the next thing to come out of him would be his internal organs. And he shook. He shook like the ants weren't only in his pants, but in every vein in his body._

_We all sat around as our friend moaned in his sleep. I hadn't been to the Valentinos in weeks and I figured they'd probably be worried. I couldn't handle Blink shaking any more. It was driving me insane. So, I snuck out when no one was looking._

_When I reached Little Italy, I was still thinking of my friend. What was going to happen to him? Was he going to die? This thought sent a wave of nausea through me and I hurried over to the nearest trash bin and retched up my lunch._

_Wiping my mouth on the back of my hand, I continued to the Valentinos._

_The door opened after my first knock and everyone flooded me with hugs and 'We were so worried.' I could hardly breath, Teresa was holding me so tightly. Grace grabbed my leg and wouldn't let go. Sophia kissed my face at least a hundred times. And Maurese looked worried._

_After everyone got off of me, I was still shaking. I sat down at the table and gulped._

_Sophia rushed and brought me a glass of water, which I immediately gulped down. I didn't even take a breath._

_"You're flushed." Teresa pressed the back of her hand on my forehead. "Are you all right, _bambino

_"M-my..." I swallowed. "Blink, Kid Blink. My friend. He's sick. I'm scared. He could die." I blubbered on._

_Sophia took my hand in her own. "Shhh..." She comforted._

_I looked around at all their worried face. "I have to go." I said suddenly. I realized now that Blink needed me. He needed me more than anyone else. _

_"You just got here." Grace whined._

_I stood up and ran a hand down her cheek. Then I got down to her level. "Gracie, you're a good goil, ya know dat? Be good ta ya family." I gave her a hug. Her expression was utter confusion mixed with a half-smile._

_I gave Teresa two kisses on each cheek. "_Arrivederci_, Teresa." I mumbled. Teresa began to cry._

_I shook Maurese's hand and looked directly into his eyes. At that moment, I knew he felt I was doing the right thing. He nodded. "_Arrivederci_, Son." He said._

_Then, I looked at Sophia and choked. She was shaking her head. Her bottom lip quivered and tears were bulging in her eyes. "What are you doing?" She demanded, her voice wavered._

_"It's da best t'ing, Sophie." I kissed her forehead, and then her cheek. Then I whispered in her ear, "I love you."_

_This is when she began to cry. I could barely stand it. She wrapped her arms around me and shuddered. I sighed and tried not to cry myself. I also tried not to throw up again. "Goodbye." I whispered to her and let her go._

_I turned and headed towards the door. When I reached it, I turned around and looked at the family one more time. Sophia, Teresa, and Grace were all sobbing and holding each other. Maurese was behind, trying to comfort them all. He nodded at me solemnly. The girls all waved goodbye. I nodded, left, and shut the door behind me._

_That was the last I ever saw of them._

* * *

I decided, that day I saw their picture in the paper, that I would go to Little Italy. I hadn't been back there since that day. I wasn't happy about my decision of leaving, but it was for the best. Blink got well. Mush and I were there every day to care for him and we haven't been closer. 

I sombered into the bustling town of Little Italy. My newspaper was still clenched in my hand. It was a hot day, and I was sweating. I walked along the street to where I could find the building. Then I decided I didn't want to see it. It would give me too much pain. But I needed to see it. So, I decided to sit down on a park bench to make my decision.

When I found a bench, I also found a girl. She was young, about my age, and pregnant. I could also see, by the way she was slumped over and shivering, that she was crying. So, I walked over to her. "Ciao. Uh... it's none of my business, but why are you cryin'? I've been havin' a rough day myself and I figured you need a shouldah ta lean on." I said to the crying woman.

"I-I-I just got home from Italy. And...my family died..." She sobbed.

I handed her my handkercheif and she looked up when she took it. She looked directly into my eyes. Her eyes were chocolate brown. Though they were red and puffy, I could recognize them anywhere. I thought that I too was going to cry.

"Race?" She asked, her voice wavered, her lower lip quivered. The 'r' rolled off her tongue.

"Sophie?"

She stood up and engulfed me in a hug. She cried and cried as I held her tightly.

* * *

Now, as I sit in the Newsboy's Lodging House. I see Mush tickling little Anthony. Jack helps Mush. Sophia comes in from the washroom and kisses me. I smile. Everything is just as I want it to be. I own a little flat a block away from the Lodging House. I work with papers at the tracks. Sophia and Anthony keep me busy when I get off work. Sophia contacted her older brother, Anthony, who was in the war. He has three children, Teresa, Grace, and Maurese. Sophia and I are to be married in June. Everything's perfect.

* * *

A/N:

Alrighty then. So...what did you think? I had to have a fluff at the end. I can hardly ever end my stories sad. Haha! Beautiful, huh? Well, I'm off to eat a juicy cheeseburger now, hope you all liked it! Please review and such! Thankies! Lucks


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